A little while ago I wrote about detoxing your wardrobe with a spring clean. Who really needs 3 pairs of last years Topshop Joni jeans? They’ve probably gone saggy around the bum anyway… But whilst your sartorial space might now be in shape for the spring-summer seasons, your life might just be as cluttered as ever. From toxic relationships that are getting you down, to bills that you’ve hidden in your drawer and ‘forgotten’ about, everything in life can get a bit stale if it hasn’t been dealt with in a while. So whilst it’s the weekend, there really is no better time to get a grip of everything and spring clean your actual life. It’s a practice that is great for emotional wellbeing. Yes, I’m aware that I sound like an utter lifestyle hippy, but trust me that it feels good. So hey, why don’t you go get yourself vile tasting kale and spirulina juice and put a ‘rainforest sounds’ playlist on your Spotify whilst you’re at it.
Clear out your living space
Yes, this is technically just spring cleaning. But get it done. Tidy room, tidy mind, as they say. Throw out anything you don’t need. Be brutal and get rid.
Learn to say No
People tell us that being a yes person is the way forward. I’m calling bullshit on this entirely by telling you there’s nothing more liberating than saying no sometimes. There’s been an endless amount of times I’ve ended up on a night out or in a bar wishing I was doing something else, but went along just because I felt obligated to say yes or thought I would have fun. Don’t feel guilty for saying no. You can be selfish and put yourself first.
Struggling for ways to say no without sounding completely blunt? Check out 25 ways to say no, a definitive list that includes excuses like “I would like to say yes to everything, but I’m not that stupid” and “It would cause the slow withering death of my soul.” It’s fine, you can thank me next time your mates get stranded at a crap house party and you’re at home chilling out catching up on Poldark.
Sort Your Paperwork
There’s a drawer in my bedroom called the drawer of doom. Anything and everything that has no real place goes into that drawer, including all of my bills, receipts and letters. Go through all of your bills and order them in date and put them in a folder. Section your letters out too into themes like hospital appointments, university letters, etc. At least this way when you get a letter from the debt collectors about your overdue store-card payments you wont spent half an hour of extra stress looking for your statements… Have a look at The Pretty Blog’s free printable organising headers.
Review your finances
Now you’ve sorted your bills, bank statements, wage slips, make a spreadsheet of all of your money coming in and going out. This is especially necessary for freelancers like myself. Plus, it’s easier to identify how and where you can save money and cut costs. Do you really need that Venti Starbucks Latte? I’m pretty sure you’ll only drink half of it anyway…
Stop letting yourself feel sorry for yourself
It’s easy to wallow in self pity when things go wrong or we aren’t where we want to be. So stop with the pity parties. It’s a completely counterproductive way of spending your time. But if you really are feeling that crappy, then spend the day doing things for you. Whether it’s having a bath, getting a massage, or binge watching Gossip Girl on Netflix, spend the time doing things to make you feel good instead of doing absolutely nothing, then freaking out about doing nothing.
Make you-time
Be a basic bitch and have that bubble bath complete with yankee candles. Zero judgement.
Re-evaluate your friends
Harsh but true. Have that one friend that keeps bailing on you? That one friend that only wants to see you when something is going on in their life? Or that one friend that just makes you feel like crap? Eliminate them from your life. You’ll feel so much better without that negativity. Toxic relationships are draining and stressful so increase the time you spend with the people that appreciate you and make you feel good. When saying “see ya” to bad friends, sassy hair flicks and bitch faces are encouraged.
Now go out into the world, do some yoga, and drink that soy latte like there’s no tomorrow…
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